Pages

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

William Brown, the Father of the Argentine navy, will soon be honored by having one of five new streets off Sir Rogerson's Quay in Dublin named after him. As one of their national heroes, he already has some 1,200 streets named after him in Argentina.

Brown was born in Foxford, County Mayo,in 1777. His father’s name may have actually been Gannon, and his mother Brown, as you can read in a link below, but that doesn’t change the story of his life.

LEFT: A 1979 Argentine stamp honoring Admiral Brown.

Brown immigrated to the United States with his family when he was about 10. William’s father died of yellow fever shortly after their arrival. Forced to fend for himself, he took a job as a cabin boy, beginning the career that would one day win him fame far from the land of his birth.

In 10 years he rose to be the captain of a merchant ship, but then he was impressed by the British. He was later taken prisoner by the French, but escaped twice, making it to England the second time. From there he made his way to South America, where he would win fame as the commander of the first Argentine navy.

Brown won a great victory over the Spanish during Argentina's fight for independence in 1814. Rewarded with command of the Argentine navy, he would be hailed as a hero again for his outstanding performance in a war against Brazil in the mid-1820s. Brown would visit his Mayo birthplace in 1847, and died in 1857 and was buried in the Recoleta cemetery in Buenos Aires.

'YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE IRISH': Malachy McCourt’s new play, starring that very same Malachy, is at the Irish Repertory Theatre at 132 W. 22nd St. in New York through Sunday. You can read more about it HERE.

EDUCATORS TO HEAR ABOUT RECREATED 1800s DWELLING: The Irish Educators’ Seminar given by the Irish Heritage and Culture Week Committee of the New York City Board of Education runs Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at American Irish Historical Society, 991 Fifth Avenue, across from the Metropolitan Museum.

David Favolaro, research manager of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, will speak about the opening later this year of the Moore Family Apartment. Favolaro's talk will examine the mid-19th century Irish immigrant experience on New York City's Lower East Side from the perspective of the Moore family as well as the process by which the Tenement Museum recreates the homes of the immigrant families who lived on Orchard Street.

J. Joseph Lee, professor in the Irish Studies Program at New York University and director of NYU's Glucksman Ireland House, is an eminent scholar and leading authority on the Irish Diaspora. Lee, a former senator in Ireland and a speaker in high demand, will follow up on our first presentation with a talk about the Irish emigrant experience.The fee for the event is $10. All are welcome, but contact Doris Meyer, (212) 945-9279, e-mail, dorismeyer@aol.com, to RSVP.

AUTHORS TALK ON DRAFT RIOTS: At the American Irish Historical Society Thursday at 6:30 p.m. author Barnet Schecter will discuss his new book, "The Devil's Own Work: The Civil War Draft Riots and the Fight to Reconstruct America." Introducing Schecter will be AIHS executive council member Peter Quinn, author of "Banished Children of Eve" and "Hour of the Cat." To reserve a place, call (212) 288-2263, x31.

This Week in Irish HistoryOn February 2, 1860, William O. 'Buckey' O'Neill, sheriff, politician, and one of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, was born, possibly somewhere in Ireland. Son of a veteran of the American Civil War's famed Irish Brigade, young William left Washington, D.C., in 1879 hoping to find excitement in the Arizona territories.